Babcock subsidiary Cavendish Nuclear, the UK’s largest nuclear services business, has been awarded a 10-year contract to supply Sellafield Ltd with specialist handling and containment systems to process nuclear material.

Worth up to £95m over the first three years, Cavendish Nuclear will meet all of Sellafield’s requirements for the design, manufacture and supply of this complex bespoke equipment for the treatment and management of nuclear materials.

Virtual reality simulation will play a key part in delivering the contract. Once the preliminary design is complete, full-scale mock-ups with virtual reality headsets will allow the customer to test out the ergonomics and identify any modifications at the earliest possible stage.

Cavendish Nuclear specialises in the design, manufacture and delivery of services across the nuclear lifecycle and has extensive experience of working across Sellafield, including ongoing work on the design of remote-handling equipment for the product and residues treatment plant.